Lord Bottomley
by showtunediva
Summary: Man Who Came To Dinner.   Lorraine/Lord Bottomley fluff. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Lord Bottomley**

A Man Who Came To Dinner Fan Fiction

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any Man Who Came To Dinner characters.

**Author's Notes:** I recently did back stage work for a local production of The Man Who Came To Dinner and absolutely loved it. For those who have not seen the show I will try to not spoil the plot too much in this story. I hope you enjoy it!

Lorraine Sheldon was head over heels for Lord Cedric Bottomly. He reciprocated the feelings for her. They had been together for about two years. Others mocked their relationship.. or mostly just mocked Cedric because of his stutter. This didn't seem to bother Cedric but it bothered Lorraine a lot.

Cedric and Lorraine had planned to spend a quiet Christmas alone together but their plans changed when Lorraine got the call from her close friend Sheridan Whiteside about a new acting role that had just opened up for her. She got the news in Scotland while on a shooting party with Lord and Lady Cunard. Lorraine was excited about her new acting job and Cedric was happy for her too despite the fact they would not see each other for Christmas.

Upon arriving in Mesalia, Ohio where Sheridan, whom she affectionately called Sherry was recovering from a hip injury at the Stanley household she flew directly to his side to find out about the play. Little did she know that Sheridan's secretary Maggie had feeling s for the playwright Bert Jefferson. Lorraine had never really thought that she would be put in the middle of a budding relationship she was more focused on the new role she was going to get in Jefferson's play.

Lorraine hit it off with Bert right away and they went to the hotel to talk about the play. Maggie stormed out of the house in a fit of rage after her plan to play a trick on Lorraine with Beverly Carlton posing as Cedric had miserably failed. They had a quiet dinner at the restaurant in the hotel lobby. For conversation's sake Lorraine decided to ask Bert about the trick that Maggie and Beverly had pulled on her.

"Honesty, I don't see why they did that to you. You obviously care a lot for this Bottomly fellow and I can't see why they would do that." Bert said.

Lorraine nodded. "I really don't get it either. Maggie could have been jealous of us working together but that really has nothing to do with our romantic lives. This is strictly business."

"How long have you been and Maggie been together?" Lorraine asked.

"We only just met two weeks ago but I'm crazy about her and she's crazy about me too… so it seems."

Lorraine remembered seeing the Christmas present that Maggie had showed to her and Sheridan earlier in the day " That was a really pretty bracelet you got her. Sorry I didn't say that before. I was just so floored by that dirty trick that Maggie and Beverly played on me. It's very unnerving."

Bert could obviously tell that Lorraine was bothered by the trick that Maggie and Beverly had played on her. "Why don't we talk about the play now? He suggested. "I can see this is really bothering you."

"Yes, let's. I want to hear all about this wonderful play you've written." Lorraine said smiling.

And that's what they talked about for the rest of the evening.

Alone in her room after Bert had gone home for the night Lorraine still agitated by the trick that Beverly and Maggie had played on her. She just couldn't shake it. She understood that Maggie had feelings for Bert and that she could have played the trick on her out of jealousy but why would her co-star Beverly Carlton want to be involved? Did he really hate Cedric that much that he would make fun of her?

She awoke on Christmas morning to her bedside phone ringing. Rolling over to look at the clock she noticed it was 7:30. This was the front desk calling to wake her up. She had to be at the Stanley's at quarter of 10 to have Christmas breakfast with Sheridan.

"Merry Christmas Ms. Sheldon, you have a gentlemen down here to see you." The cheery front desk attendant said

Lorraine sat up in bed, frazzled. How could Bert be here so early to pick her up to go to Sheridan's? She was barely awake. She threw on a sweatshirt and a pair of sneakers and went down to the lobby.

All her anger at Maggie and Beverly instantly melted away when she saw Lord Bottomly standing by the front desk.

"Cedric darling. What a surprise. How did you know I was staying here?"

Cedric Bottomly grinned " I called the residence of the gentlemen you came out here to visit and he told me. Merry Christmas my sweet."

Lorraine leaned over to kiss her boyfriend. "Merry Christmas darling. Let's go up to my room. I need to get ready to go to the Stanley's house to have breakfast with Sheridan."

"Sounds grand to me. I've had a long trip and need to rest a spell. Plus I have a Christmas surprise for you."

Lorraine couldn't wait to see what the surprise was.

When they got back at Lorriane's room Lord Bottomly looked around. "Pretty nice for the fist American hotel room I've been in." he remarked.

Lorraine nodded and offered her boyfriend a snack and some water which he gladly accepted after being famished from his long trip.

"What's your surprise?" Lorraine asked eagerly

"Well I found out about that nasty trick that Sheridan's secretary and that louse Beverly Carlton played on you."

Lorraine flushed with utmost embarrassment. "Really, how did you know?"

"Cosette called last night and told me all about it. Don't worry my sweet we'll fix everything that this little misunderstanding bent out of sorts."

"But how?"

"Don't worry about my sweet. I called the jeweler and they are still saving the string of pearls for you that we picked out in October. In the meantime I have brought you some other jewelry." Cedric reached into his suitcase and pulled out a few small boxes.

Lorraine was delighted that the wrongs from Beverly and Maggie's awful trick would soon be righted. She was very grateful for her maid for making things right,

Cedric handed her the first box. Inside were a pair of emerald earrings and a matching bracelet.

"Darling, they're lovely."

The next box was smaller. Before Lorraine could reach for it Lord Bottomley snatched it up, got down on one knee and opened it. In side was a 14 karat diamond ring.

"Lorraine, my sweet, will you be my wife?"

Lorraine's smile was a mile wide.

"Darling, I thought you'd never ask. Yes, a hundred times yes."

Lord Bottmley slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"I love you my sweet."

"I love you too."

This was the best Christmas gift she could have ever received.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Marriage**

**Lord Bottomly Chapter 2**

**Note:** After writing my Bert Jefferson/Maggie Cutler story the other day I decided to revisit this story. I own no characters from Man Who Came To Dinner. I also use a quote in here from** Meet Me In St Louis** which I do not own. This is an alternate ending to Man Who Came To Dinner since I don't like the way the play ended.

Lorraine and Cedric hailed a cab to the Stanley's house. Lorraine could not wait to tell Sheridan her wonderful news.

The door at the Stanley's house opened. "Merry Christmas Ms. Sheldon. May I take your coats?" John the butler asked.

"Yes, thank you John." Lorraine said. Sheridan Whiteside wheeled his wheelchair out into the hallway.

"Merry Christmas dearest Lorraine." Sheridan said.

Lorraine leaned over and kissed Sheridan's cheek. "Merry Christmas Sherry. Look who came all the way from London to surprise me!"

"A surprise indeed! How are you Cedric?"

"Very well Sheridan. Merry Christmas."

"Same to you chap."

Maggie appeared at the top of the stairs followed by June Stanley. "Good Morning Lorraine. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas. Maggie, I'd like to meet Lord Cedric Bottomly. "

Maggie descended the stairs and once she was in the hallway she shook Cedric's hand.

"Lorraine has told us so much about you. It's lovely to finally meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine Ms. Cutler." Cedric said.

"Sarah has prepared a lovely breakfast for us. Shall we go eat?" Sheridan asked.

"Yes, let's. Cedric just arrived from London about an hour and a half ago. We're both famished." Lorraine said.

Once they sat down Lorraine smiled broadly.

"Sherry I have the most wonderful news!"

"What is it Blossom Girl?"

Lorraine held out her hand. "Cedric proposed. We're getting married in March."

"That's a very pretty ring Ms. Sheldon." June Stanley said.

"Thank you June."

Maggie smiled at Lorraine. "Congratulations Lorraine. How very exciting! Won't it be hard for you to get a part in Bert's play if you're going to be living in London?"

Lorraine smiled. "Cedric is moving to the states in a few weeks and we'll be getting dual citizenship."

Sheridan kissed the back of Lorraine's hand. "Congratulations precious. I couldn't be happier for you."

Once the meal was served Sheridan raised his glass.

"Merry Christmas Everyone! Here's to a wonderful new year ahead."

After breakfast was over Lorraine and Maggie helped to clear the table.

"Lorraine, I owe you an apology for that trick Beverly and I played on you last night. It was terribly short sighted on both of our parts. Cedric is wonderful."

Lorraine smiled at Maggie. "Apology accepted. Would you join Bert and I on New Years Eve in Lake Placid? Cedric plans to come too."

Maggie returned Lorraine's smile. "I'd love to. Thank you so much for inviting me."

The doorbell rang. Minutes later John appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Ms. Cutler there are two officers at the door who'd like to talk to you."

Maggie and Lorraine exchanged a curious glance. Maggie wiped her hands on a dish towel. "I'll be there in a moment John just let me finish drying these dishes."

Maggie was gone for several minutes. Lorraine went to the hallway to investigate. Maggie wheeled a furious Sheridan into the hallway.

"What's going on?" Lorraine asked.

The officer looked at the assembly of people in the hallway. "Mr. Stanley called us a little while ago. He has asked that we have Mr. Whiteside forcibly removed from this house. He feels he has overstepped his bounds by getting involved in the affairs of his children."

Lorraine's jaw dropped. "Sherry dear what have you done?"

June Stanley stepped forward. "He told me to run away with Sandy, a boy Father doesn't approve of and he told Richard to hop on the train to travel the country and then the world to take pictures."

"This is quite a ridiculous misunderstanding. I refuse to leave this house! "Ms. Cutler and I have to catch a train back to New York in one hour." Sheridan protested.

The second officer shook his head. "Sorry Mr. Whiteside, we've got our orders. We'll be happy to take you to the train station so you'll be there for your scheduled departure."

Sheridan swept the blanket off his lap and stood up in a flourish. This was met with shocked silence

"I'm perfectly capable of taking a cab with Ms. Cutler. Thank you."

Maggie's jaw dropped. "Sherry do you mean to tell us that you were never injured?"

"Yes my pet. The doctors confused my X-rays with someone else's. I've been well for weeks."

"Why would you lie Mr. Whiteside?" June Stanley asked.

"Money my dear girl is the root of everything. I would have lost thousands of dollars in donations from our radio sponsors if they had found out I was well."

"I hate loathe despise and abominate money." June muttered.

Both officers took Sheridan by his arms and led him to the door. "We'll be taking you down to the station now to book you on fraud charges Mr. Whiteside."

As Sheridan was leaving Bert Jefferson arrived.

"Merry Christmas everyone! Maggie, what's going on? Why is Mr. Whiteside leaving in a squad car? I thought your train was leaving at 1:00 for New York."

Maggie kissed Bert's cheek softly. "Merry Christmas Bert. Mr. Whiteside has been arrested. He won't be coming back to New York for quite some time I suspect."

Bert's jaw dropped. "Arrested? Who had him arrested?"

"Father had him removed from the house because he breached his boundaries by giving my brother and I unsolicited advice. He's also been charged with fraud." June Stanley said.

Lorraine whispered. "He stole thousands of dollars in donations from his radio sponsors for faking his injuries." She then started to cry and buried her face into Cedric's shoulder. Cedric rubbed her back comfortingly and laid a kiss on her forehead.

"What do you mean faking his injuries?"

"Bert, his hip was never broken. Dr. Bradley mixed up his x-rays with someone else's." Maggie said.

At that moment Ernest W. Stanley appeared at the top of the stairs.

"The police have come to take Whiteside to the train station correct?"

"The officers have come and gone Father." June said.

"Excellent." Mr. Stanley then took notice of how Lorraine was upset. "Whatever is wrong Ms. Sheldon?"

"Mr. Stanley, Mr. Whiteside is not going to the train station. The officers took him to jail."

"Jail? Isn't your train leaving at 1pm to head back to New York Ms. Cutler? Mr. Stanley shot a confused look at Maggie.

"It is. Mr. Jefferson is taking me to the station shortly. Mr. Whiteside has been charged with fraud Mr. Stanley."

"Excuse me?"

"He faked his injuries Father. His hip was never broken." June said

Mr. Stanley's cheeks reddened.

"Do you mean to tell me that we've been treated like second class citizens in this house for a month when Mr. Whiteside wasn't even ill?"

Maggie nodded.

"June, please go upstairs. Your mother and I want to talk to you and your brother about your shenanigans."

"Yes Father." June turned to head up the stairs "Merry Christmas Everyone!"

Maggie reached out and gave June a hug. "Merry Christmas June."

Once June left the room Mr. Stanley turned to face Maggie.

"I am infuriated Ms. Cutler! I can't believe we were foolish enough to fall for this."

"I'm truly sorry for everything Mr. Stanley. I'll find some way to reimburse you for all those transatlantic phone calls Mr. Whiteside made in the past month. He'll be in jail for quite some time I'm estimating."

"Will he go to court?"

Maggie shrugged. "I would think so. Not sure when his arraignment will be. I am sure it will be in the papers."

"This is not the kind of thing I want my family to be related to Ms. Cutler. I am worried we'll be the laughing stock of Mesalia."

Bert interjected. "Don't worry about a thing Mr. Stanley. I'll be sure nothing bad will be said against your family."

"Thank you Mr. Jefferson."

"Come on Maggie. Let's go… we should start heading to the train station."

Maggie shook Mr. Stanley's hand. "Once again I'm terribly sorry for everything Mr. Stanley. I'll be in touch with you about reimbursement for those phone calls."

"Merry Christmas Ms. Cutler. Safe travels back to New York."

"Merry Christmas Mr. Stanley."

Cedric and Lorraine followed Bert and Maggie out the door.

"Well, this is certainly an interesting turn of events." Cedric said.

"Yes it is." Bert said.

Lorraine was still crying. "I can't believe Sherry would do something like this. In all the years I've known him I would have never expected it. It's not like him to be this dishonest."

Maggie nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way Lorraine."

"How much money do you suppose he got from people in donations?" Cedric asked.

Maggie shrugged. "Lord knows, probably hundreds or thousands of dollars. His radio broadcasts are listened to all over the country and all over the world."

"Well, this is where we part. We'll see you two on New Years?" Lorraine said

Maggie nodded. "Yes, we're looking very forward to it."

Bert looked shocked. "You're coming to Lake Placid too Maggie?"

Maggie nodded. "Yes, I think the four of us should spend some time to get know each other."

Cedric grinned. "Jolly good! We'll see you on New Years Eve."

On New Years Eve Bert and Maggie arrived at Lorraine's ski chalet around 5:15pm

Lorraine met them in the driveway. "Welcome. Let me help you with your bags."

Maggie with floored with how huge the chalet was. "This is an absolutely gorgeous house Lorraine."

"Thank you. Shall we have some appetizers?"

"Yes, we've had quite a long trip." Bert said.

As they had pre-dinner martinis Lorraine looked at Maggie.

"Any word on if Sherry is going to court on the fraud charges?"

Maggie nodded. "His arraignment is going to be on January 10th."

"I would assume Mr. Stanley is going to go the arraignment?"

Maggie shrugged. "I haven't a clue. He might. He's pretty sore with Sherry about those high phone bills so I think he's going to try his hardest to get some money out of him."

"So Cedric how long have you and Lorraine known each other?" Bert asked

"2 years. We're getting married in March."

Bert smiled. " Congratulations! I'm happy for you Lorraine!"

"Thank you Bert. We're incredibly excited about taking the next step in our relationship."

"Maggie, are you going to move to Mesalia?" Lorraine asked

Maggie nodded. "Yes. I have a feeling that I won't be working for Sherry anymore after the first of the year. If he's convicted on the fraud charges he's expected to be in jail for at least five years."

Cedric looked at Bert. "Are you getting Maggie a job at the Mesalia Journal?"

"Still working on that but I do believe there is a secretary position opening up at the office."

"Bert how many people are expected to audition for your play? Cedric asked.

Burt shrugged. "I don't know. I won't know til the day of the audition." He smiled at Lorraine "Are you nervous?"

Lorraine shook her head. "Not at all. I'm very excited. I couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity Bert. Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"A toast.. to new friendships and new beginnings." Maggie said.

"Cheers!" The four friends clinked glasses.

Bert kissed Maggie's cheek. "I am very excited about you moving to Mesalia. I've been working on looking into an apartment for us to rent."

Maggie grinned. "I'm so excited about what's ahead for both of us Bert. In a way though I do feel rather horrible for Sherry."

"You shouldn't take too much pity on him. What he did to his loyal radio listeners was despicable." Cedric said.

"How do you suppose he'll pay back all that money?" Lorraine asked.

Maggie shrugged. "He'll have to figure that out. He'll also have to hire new staff since Ms. Preen and I have ceased our employment with him."

Later that night as they were getting ready for bed Maggie felt Bert's arms wrap around her.

"Cedric is a wonderful man isn't he?"

Maggie nodded "Yes. I am happy for Lorraine."

"Are you still regretful for the joke you played on Lorraine on Christmas Eve?"

Maggie nodded. "A little. A friendship with Lorraine Is what I least expected but I look forward to what's ahead for all four of us. I think we're going to have a great time getting to know them."

"When were you thinking of getting married?" Bert asked.

Maggie shrugged. "I don't think we should rush into it. We've only been dating for less than a month. I would say we should wait 2-3 years."

"This relationship Is the best thing that ever happened to me." Bert whispered.

Maggie fell deep into Bert's embrace and looked into his eyes lovingly.

"Agreed. I love you so much Bert."

"I love too Maggie." Bert brushed Maggie's bangs out of her eyes and softly laid a kiss on her forehead.

Once the new year started things started to move pretty fast. Maggie packed up her apartment in New York and moved to Mesalia on January 15th. A job was solidified for Maggie at the Mesalia Journal and she would start right away.

Maggie and Bert had an apartment in downtown Mesalia that was near the skating rink where they'd gone on their first date.

"Has there been any news about Sherry's arriangment?" Maggie asked

Bert nodded. "It's on the front page of Sunday's paper. He got a 2-5 year sentence for the fraud charges. We won't be seeing a lot of him for quite some time."

"Was there any mention about weather Mr. Stanley appeared in court to testify?"

Bert nodded. "He got the restitution he needed for those transatlantic phone calls."

Maggie let out a sigh of relief. "That's so good to hear. I felt horrible for inconveniencing that family while we were staying there. I wish we could have worked out things better so they were still able to use their own phone."

Maggie laid a soft kiss on Bert's cheek. "How are rehearsals going darling?"

Bert smiled. "So far so good. We have a really good cast. Lorraine is understudying for the lead. She's really excited."

"When are the performances?"

"The end of April."


End file.
